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Could Medvedev, Rublev & Musetti be best Predictor Picks in Cincinnati?

The North American hard-court season continues with another ATP Masters 1000 event at the Cincinnati Open, where Carlos Alcaraz is the defending champion.

Before each tournament week, ATPTour.com looks at three players who might be good selections for fans in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor.

Make Your Picks Now!

Daniil Medvedev — defending 90 points
Medvedev lost his opening match in Montreal to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, but signs point towards a bounceback for the former World No. 1 in Cincinnati.

The 28-year-old owns a 15-6 record at the Cincinnati Open, where he won his first ATP Masters 1000 event in 2019. He also has reached two additional semi-finals at the tournament.

Medvedev had a quick turnaround following the Paris Olympics, transitioning from clay to hard courts. Now the fourth seed will look to dig into the part of the season that has historically been his most successful when he plays Jiri Lehecka or Mariano Navone in the second round.

Andrey Rublev — replacing 10 points
The 26-year-old has found some of his best tennis of 2024 in Montreal, where he is into the semi-finals after defeating World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. With a chance to advance even further in Canada, he will look to carry plenty of momentum into Cincinnati.

In 2021, Rublev made his first hard-court Masters 1000 final in Ohio. The sixth seed, who will replace 10 points in his PIF ATP Rankings breakdown, has a big chance to add points to his total with another deep run. The sixth seed will play Zhang Zhizhen or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the second round.

Lorenzo Musetti — defending 45 points
Musetti has not yet found success in Cincinnati, tallying a 1-2 record at the event. But he has never arrived at the tournament playing as well as he is now.

The Italian advanced to his first major semi-final at Wimbledon and followed that by claiming the singles bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. Musetti, the 14th seed, will begin his run in Cincinnati against Chilean Nicolas Jarry.

Bonus Ball — Daniil Medvedev
It might seem risky to put your Bonus Ball — which doubles your points for that player — on Medvedev since he is defending 90 points. But he has historically played well in Cincinnati and will be hungry to rack up matches after his early exit in Montreal.

Medvedev made clear in Canada that he is keen to add a title to his 2024 resumé. The fourth seed could play Musetti in the third round. However, he leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 2-0, with both wins coming in straight sets on hard courts last year.

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Rublev seeks to close out Sinner after brief rain suspension

After Saturday’s evening session was delayed by an hour at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, Andrey Rublev made the most of a brief window in between rain showers to take the opening set against Jannik Sinner in Montreal. After a short delay, the players returned to Court Central resume their eighth Lexus ATP Head2Head matchup.

The fifth-seeded Rublev claimed a 6-3 opener in a brisk 39 minutes before wet weather interrupted play for a half hour. Rublev’s big baseline hitting helped him secure an early advantage as he seeks his third victory against the defending champion and No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Both men are pulling double duty on Saturday in Montreal. Rublev defeated Brandon Nakashima earlier in the day to complete his box set of quarter-final appearances at all nine ATP Masters 1000s. Sinner beat Alejandro Tabilo to advance to the quarters, extending his hard-court winning streak to eight matches dating back to his Miami title run in March.

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Ram/Salisbury beat Medvedev/Safiullin in Montreal doubles QFs

On a busy Saturday of doubles action at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, third seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury beat singles stars Daniil Medvedev and Roman Safiullin to advance to the semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000.

The American-British pair earned a 6-4, 6-4 win behind three breaks of serve. They dominated on their own serve in the quarter-final matchup, winning 86 per cent (25/29) of points behind their first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski await in the semi-finals, after they received a walkover against Jack Draper and Jannik Sinner on Friday.

Top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos earned two wins on Saturday to reach the semis. After wrapping up a 6-4, 6-2 result against Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Alejandro Tabilo, they completed their double duty with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against fifth-seeded Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori. The Spanish-Argentine pair will next meet Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic, after the fourth seeds edged Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 3-6, 6-2, 10-5.

That semi-final showdown will see the first-place (Granollers/Zeballos) and second-place (Arevalo/Pavic) pairs in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings square off, with both in strong position to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

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Zverev sinks Rune in Montreal

Alexander Zverev earned a statement win on Saturday at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, where he defeated Holger Rune 6-3, 7-6(5) to reach the quarter-finals in Montreal.

The German was consistent in the baseline rallies and was front-footed on return, winning 52 per cent (15/29) of points on Rune’s second serve to take a 2-1 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

The second seed has earned a Tour-extending 49 wins this year, highlighted by his ATP Masters 1000 crown in Rome. The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Zverev is also into his 29th Masters 1000 quarter-final, the 10th highest since the series started in 1990.

Zverev will next play Sebastian Korda after the American received a walkover from Norway’s Casper Ruud. The 27-year-old has fond memories in Montreal, having lifted the trophy in 2017 aged 20.

Alexei Popyrin also advanced to the last eight. The Australian upset Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.

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Alcaraz, Sinner learn Cincinnati fates

Carlos Alcaraz will make his return to hard courts against either Gael Monfils or Alexei Popyrin, as revealed by Saturday’s draw for the Cincinnati Open.

The Spaniard has not competed on the surface since he reached the quarter-finals in Miami in March but arrives in Cincinnati holding fond memories, having advanced to the final last year.

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The 21-year-old, who has won majors at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, is chasing his sixth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati. Alcaraz is seeded to face Holger Rune in the third round, with the Dane starting against former Top 10 star Matteo Berrettini in a blockbuster first-round match.

Alcaraz could then meet seventh seed Casper Ruud or ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals, with fourth seed Daniil Medvedev a potential semi-final opponent. Medvedev, who triumphed in Cincinnati in 2019, begins against Jiri Lehecka or Mariano Navone.

Lorenzo Musetti, a bronze medalist at the Paris Olympics, is seeded to play Medvedev in the third round, while fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz or 10th seed Tommy Paul could await in the last eight. Hurkacz reached the semis in Cincinnati last year, while Paul is set for his fifth appearance.

Top seed Jannik Sinner will play Tallon Griekspoor or a qualifier in his opening match. The Italian, who became the first player to qualify for this year’s Nitto ATP Finals on Saturday following his third-round win in Montreal, is in the same quarter as sixth seed Andrey Rublev. Rublev starts against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or China’s Zhang Zhizhen. Sinner, a four-time titlist this year, is seeded to play Ugo Humbert in the third round.

Third seed Alexander Zverev is a potential semi-final for Sinner. The 2021 champ Zverev takes on Karen Khachanov or Francisco Cerundolo in his opening match. Washington champion Sebastian Korda is a potential third-round opponent, with American Ben Shelton or Grigor Dimitrov seeded to play the German in the last eight. Shelton faces countryman Reilly Opelka in the first round.

The ATP Masters 1000 hard-court event begins on Monday, with the final on Monday 19 August.

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Jannik Sinner becomes first player to qualify for 2024 Nitto ATP Finals

Jannik Sinner was handed a double reward when he advanced to the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers quarter-finals on Friday. By doing so, the Italian became the first player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

The World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Ranking, Sinner will make his second consecutive appearance and third overall at the prestigious season finale in Turin, which this year will take place from 10-17 November. After making his event debut as an alternate in 2021, Sinner last year charged to the final in front of his home fans at Inalpi Arena, where he ultimately fell to Novak Djokovic.

FORZA JANNIK 👏

Sinner is the first to qualify for this year’s Nitto ATP Finals, and is ready to battle it out on home soil 💪🇮🇹@nittoatpfinals | #NittoATPFinals | @janniksin pic.twitter.com/0ANj8hI3aS

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 10, 2024

The 22-year-old Italian began his year by lifting his maiden major trophy at the Australian Open. He then won an indoor hard-court ATP 500 in Rotterdam, became an ATP Masters 1000 champion for the second time in Miami, and clinched his first tour-level grass title in Halle.

Alongside winning a Tour-leading four titles this season, Sinner made history on 10 June after Roland Garros, where he reached the semi-finals. He rose above Djokovic to become the first Italian No. 1 in PIF ATP Rankings history.

Now 44-4 for the season after defeating Alejandro Tabilo in Montreal, Sinner will try to continue extending his lead in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin over second-placed Carlos Alcaraz. The Italian currently owns 6,400 points, 450 clear of Alcaraz. Sinner is chasing the coveted ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honour.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Sinner dispatches Tabilo, reaches Montreal QFs

Jannik Sinner continued his quest towards a fifth title of the season on Saturday at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, where he dispatched Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals in Montreal.

After a slow start, the World No. 1 began to motor from the mid-way point in the first set. The Italian won 92 per cent (11/12) of his first-serve points in the opener and then won eight consecutive points in the early stages of the second set to break Tabilo’s serve and take full control.

“Tricky opponent, tricky conditions,” Sinner said. “It is difficult playing against this type of player. Huge lefty, big potential. I had to be very careful, looking a lot to make the game. It felt like a good match. I know in my mind I have to play one more time [today], so there is not much time to be happy and recover. I am happy to play again later.”

With his 79-minute win, Sinner set a quarter-final meeting with Andrey Rublev. The top seed is undertaking double duty on Saturday after rain cancelled Friday’s play and will return to Court Central at 7 p.m. local time to face Rublev.

“When you are a set and a break up you want to close it in two,” Sinner said. “If I want to play the second match today, I had to win the first one. So if it took three or four hours, it takes that long. It will be a tough match against Andrey. He played great today.”

Sinner leads Rublev 5-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having defeated the fifth seed en route to the Australian Open title in January.

Sinner has fond memories in Canada, having won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Masters 1000 event last year in Toronto. Turning 23 next week, Sinner has since soared to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. He boasts a 44-4 season record and leads the ATP Tour in hard-court wins (24) this year.

Sinner has now advanced to at least the quarter-final stage at all five Masters 1000 events he has played this year, with his best result a title run in Miami. The 22-year-old is competing on hard court for the first time since he triumphed in Florida in March.

Sinner became the first player to qualify for the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals with his third-round win in Montreal. The Italian reached the championship match at the year-end event in 2023.

In other action, Kei Nishikori reached his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final since Rome in 2019. The Japanese star beat Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-3, 6-4 to advance to his 23rd quarter-final at this level.

Nishikori is a 12-time tour-level titlist and rose to a career-high No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2015. The 34-year-old has been plagued by injuries in recent years and prior to his first-round win against Alex Michelsen, had not earned a victory at ATP Masters 1000 level since Indian Wells in 2021. He will next meet Matteo Arnaldi after the Italian advanced when Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired in the third set with Arnaldi leading 4-6, 7-6(5), 3-0.

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Korda continues winning run, Rublev advances in Montreal

Sebastian Korda extended his winning run to seven matches on Saturday at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, where he overcame countryman Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-6(4) to reach the third round in Montreal.

Korda is playing at a career-high No. 18 in the PIF ATP Rankings, having won his first ATP 500 crown in Washington last week. The 24-year-old saved three set points in the second set on serve at 4-5 against Fritz before he eventually prevailed in the tie-break to advance after one hour and 39 minutes.

Korda, who improved to 1-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Fritz, will return to court later on Saturday when he meets sixth-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud in the last 16.

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev set a potential quarter-final meeting with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner when he dispatched American Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-2.

Rublev struck 22 winners and committed just five unforced errors in a high-quality performance to reach the last eight at the hard-court event. With his 64-minute win, Rublev completed the set of quarter-finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 events.

The 26-year-old is up one spot to ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, trailing eighth-placed Stefanos Tsitsipas – who is out of Montreal – by 45 points. Rublev’s best result at the Nitto ATP Finals was a semi-final showing in 2022.

In other early action, Pole Hubert Hurkacz clawed past Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) to reach the third round. Hurkacz hit 14 aces according to Infosys ATP Stats and converted on his third match point to triumph after two hours and 30 minutes. He will next meet Arthur Rinderknech after the Frenchman defeated Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-2.

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Boulter knocked out of Canadian Open by Sabalenka

British number one Katie Boulter loses in straight sets to Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of the Canadian Open.

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Sinner's potential double duty leads super Saturday in Montreal

Top seed Jannik Sinner headlines a hectic Saturday schedule at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, where the Italian will need to pull double duty to reach the semi-finals and continue his title defence.

The 22-year-old, among several players who could play two matches in one day due to rain cancelling the entirety of Friday’s Montreal action, will play 15th seed Alejandro Tabilo not before 12:30 p.m. local time on Court Central. The winner will return to the same court not before 7 p.m. to face fifth seed Andrey Rublev or qualifier Brandon Nakashima in the quarter-finals.

Following Sinner and Tabilo on Court Central will be the third-round blockbuster between second seed Alexander Zverev and 13th seed Holger Rune. Zverev and Rune are level at 1-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with the German winning their most recent match in five sets at this year’s Roland Garros.

Kei Nishikori looks to build upon his run at the ATP Masters 1000 event, beginning the day with a third-round match against Portugal’s Nuno Borges. The winner will close the Court Central evening session with a quarter-final meeting against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Matteo Arnaldi.

There are still three second-round matches to be completed, two of which have not commenced: fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz versus Thanasi Kokkinakis and the all-American clash between Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda. The winner of Fritz and Korda will play sixth seed Casper Ruud after suitable rest.

In other second-round action, Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech leads Flavio Cobolli 3-0, 15/15 with the Italian serving. The winner faces Hurkacz or Kokkinakis after suitable rest Saturday.

This year’s Canadian ATP Masters 1000 tournament started on Tuesday, one day later than normal, due to the Paris Olympics. The final is scheduled for Monday.

Montreal Saturday Order of Play

COURT CENTRAL start 11:00 am
Second Round – [Q] T. Kokkinakis (AUS) vs [4] H. Hurkacz (POL) 00

Not Before 12:30 pm
Third Round – [1] J. Sinner (ITA) vs [15] A. Tabilo (CHI)
Third Round – [13] H. Rune (DEN) vs [2] A. Zverev (GER)

Not Before 7:00 pm
Quarter-finals – [1] J. Sinner (ITA) or [15] A. Tabilo (CHI) vs [Q] B. Nakashima (USA) or [5] A. Rublev
Quarter-finals – A. Davidovich Fokina (ESP) or M. Arnaldi (ITA) vs N. Borges (POR) or [PR] K. Nishikori (JPN)

COURT ROGERS start 11:00 am
Second Round – F. Cobolli (ITA) vs [Q] A. Rinderknech (FRA) 03
Third Round – [Q] B. Nakashima (USA) vs [5] A. Rublev
Third Round – [7] G. Dimitrov (BUL) vs A. Popyrin (AUS)

Not Before 4:00 pm
Third Round – After Suitable Rest – [6] C. Ruud (NOR) vs S. Korda (USA) or [9] T. Fritz (USA)

COURT 5 start 11:00 am
Second Round – S. Korda (USA) vs [9] T. Fritz (USA)
Third Round – N. Borges (POR) vs [PR] K. Nishikori (JPN)

Not Before 4:00 pm
Third Round – After Suitable Rest – F. Cobolli (ITA) or [Q] A. Rinderknech (FRA) vs [Q] T. Kokkinakis (AUS) or [4] H. Hurkacz (POL)
Quarter-finals – [4] M. Arevalo (ESA) / M. Pavic (CRO) vs [10] K. Krawietz (GER) / T. Puetz (GER)

COURT 9 start 11:00 am
Quarter-finals – D. Medvedev / R. Safiullin vs [3] R. Ram (USA) / J. Salisbury (GBR)
Third Round – A. Davidovich Fokina (ESP) vs M. Arnaldi (ITA)

Second Round – After Suitable Rest – [1] M. Granollers (ESP) / H. Zeballos (ARG) vs T. Etcheverry (ARG) / A. Tabilo (CHI) 64 10
Quarter-finals – TBA – [1] M. Granollers (ESP) / H. Zeballos (ARG) or T. Etcheverry (ARG) / A. Tabilo (CHI) vs [5] S. Bolelli (ITA) / A. Vavassori (ITA)

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